BTS7960 — 43A High-Current Half-Bridge Motor Driver IC / Module (NovalithIC)

Overview

The BTS7960 (BTS7960B) is a fully integrated, high-current half-bridge motor driver IC from Infineon's NovalithIC™ family. Housed in a 7-pin TO-263 power package (and widely popularized on pre-assembled IBT-2 dual BTS7960 43A motor driver modules), it combines a P-channel high-side power MOSFET, an N-channel low-side power MOSFET, and an integrated driver circuit into a single thermal package.

With a nominal current rating of up to $43\text{ A}$ peak and ultra-low combined on-state path resistance of just $16\text{ m}\Omega$ typical, the BTS7960 easily handles heavy 12V–24V brushed DC motors, electric scooters, e-bike winches, robotic actuators, and high-power linear actuators. It integrates analog current sense feedback (IS), overtemperature protection, short-circuit current limiting, undervoltage lockout, and adjustable slew-rate control up to $25\text{ kHz}$ PWM.

Quick reference


Driver Type	High-Current Half-Bridge Motor Driver (NovalithIC™)
Package	TO-263-7 (D2PAK-7) / IBT-2 Module (2× BTS7960)
Motor Supply Voltage ( $V_S$ )	$6.0\text{ V}$ to $27.0\text{ V}$ DC (Survival up to $40\text{V}$ )
Continuous Current Rating	$15.0\text{ A} \dots 20.0\text{ A}$ (with aluminum heatsink and active cooling)
Peak / Stall Current Limit	$43.0\text{ A}$ typical internal current limit
Total MOSFET On-Resistance ( $R_{ON}$ )	$16\text{ m}\Omega$ typical ( $9\text{ m}\Omega$ high-side + $7\text{ m}\Omega$ low-side at $25^\circ\text{C}$ )
PWM Switching Frequency	Up to $25\text{ kHz}$
Logic Supply Voltage ( $V_{CC}$ )	$4.5\text{ V}$ to $5.5\text{ V}$ DC ( $3.3\text{V}$ logic compatible inputs)
Diagnostics & Sensing	Current sense analog output (`IS`) with proportional current mirror + Fault flag

Pinout (TO-263-7 IC Package)

text

        ┌──────────────┐
    OUT ─│ 1          7 │─ IS
    OUT ─│ 2    TAB   6 │─ SR
     VS ─│ 3   (OUT)  5 │─ INH
    GND ─│ 4            │
        └───────────────┘
          (Pin 8 is IN)

Pin	Name	Description
1, 2	`OUT`	Half-bridge power output (connected internally to Tab)
3	`VS`	Motor power supply input (+6.0V to +27.0V DC)
4	`GND`	Logic and low-side power ground return
5	`INH`	Inhibit / Enable input (Active-HIGH: HIGH = Enabled, LOW = Standby/High-Z)
6	`SR`	Slew rate adjustment pin (Connect resistor to GND to tune switching speed)
7	`IS`	Current sensing analog output and diagnostic fault flag
8 (Lead)	`IN`	Logic PWM input (HIGH = High-Side ON, LOW = Low-Side ON)

Common IBT-2 Dual-Driver Module Pinout

The ubiquitous IBT-2 module pairs two BTS7960 ICs together to create a complete full H-bridge with screw terminals:

text

    IBT-2 Logic Control Header:
    ┌──────────────────────────────┐
    │ [VCC]  [GND]                 │  VCC: +5V Logic, GND: Ground
    │ [R_EN] [L_EN]                │  R_EN / L_EN: Forward / Reverse Bridge Enables (Tie HIGH)
    │ [RPWM] [LPWM]                │  RPWM / LPWM: Forward / Reverse MCU PWM speed inputs
    │ [R_IS] [L_IS]                │  R_IS / L_IS: Current sense analog outputs
    └──────────────────────────────┘

Module Pin	Description	MCU Connection (Arduino)
`VCC`	+5V logic supply	5V pin
`GND`	Ground reference	GND
`R_EN`	Right/Forward half-bridge enable	Digital Pin (or tie to 5V)
`L_EN`	Left/Reverse half-bridge enable	Digital Pin (or tie to 5V)
`RPWM`	Forward PWM speed control input	PWM Pin (e.g. Pin 5)
`LPWM`	Reverse PWM speed control input	PWM Pin (e.g. Pin 6)
`R_IS`	Forward current sense mirror	Analog Input (e.g. A0)
`L_IS`	Reverse current sense mirror	Analog Input (e.g. A1)

Control Logic (IBT-2 Module)

`R_EN`	`L_EN`	`RPWM`	`LPWM`	Motor Behavior
`0`	`0`	X	X	Coast / Standby (High-Z)
`1`	`1`	`0`	`0`	Brake to Ground (Slow decay)
`1`	`1`	PWM	`0`	Forward (Speed proportional to PWM duty cycle)
`1`	`1`	`0`	PWM	Reverse (Speed proportional to PWM duty cycle)
`1`	`1`	`1`	`1`	Brake to Ground

Specifications

Parameter	Symbol	Min	Typ	Max	Unit	Conditions
Motor Supply Voltage	$V_S$	6.0	12.0	27.0	V	Normal operation
Peak Current Limit	$I_{CL}$	33	43	55	A	$T_J = 25^\circ\text{C}$
High-Side On-Resistance	$R_{ON(HS)}$	—	9.0	16.0	$\text{m}\Omega$	$I_{OUT} = 9.0\text{A}, T_J = 25^\circ\text{C}$
Low-Side On-Resistance	$R_{ON(LS)}$	—	7.0	14.0	$\text{m}\Omega$	$I_{OUT} = 9.0\text{A}, T_J = 25^\circ\text{C}$
Current Sense Ratio ( $I_{OUT} / I_{IS}$ )	$k_{ILIS}$	—	8500	—	—	Current mirror scale factor
Quiescent Current (Standby)	$I_{VS(std)}$	—	7.0	20.0	$\mu\text{A}$	$INH = 0\text{V}$

Common mistakes

Assuming 43A is continuous without active cooling: The 43A rating is the silicon pulse/short-circuit limit. Continuous DC operation beyond $12\text{A} \dots 15\text{A}$ produces substantial heat; always ensure thermal paste contact with an aluminum heatsink and forced-air cooling.
Forgetting to pull both R_EN and L_EN HIGH: The enable pins (R_EN, L_EN) must both be asserted HIGH. If either is LOW, that side of the H-bridge floats in high impedance, preventing bidirectional current flow.
Switching both RPWM and LPWM simultaneously at high duty cycles: Alternating between forward and reverse without a deadtime gap or brake state can induce inductive back-EMF spikes that exceed the $40\text{V}$ maximum rating. Place a $100\ \mu\text{F} \dots 1000\ \mu\text{F}$ low-ESR electrolytic capacitor across the motor supply ( $B+/B-$ ).

Notes

Current Sensing Formula: The current on pin IS is proportional to the high-side MOSFET current: $I_{IS} = I_{OUT} / 8500$ . Connecting a $1\text{ k}\Omega$ sense resistor to ground produces $V_{IS} = I_{OUT} \times 1000 / 8500 \approx 0.117\text{ V per Ampere}$ .

Interface	Logic PWM Input (IN), Enable Input (INH), Current Sense / Status Flag (IS), Slew Rate Pin (SR)
Supply	6–27 V
Package	TO-263-7 (D2PAK-7) / IBT-2 Dual BTS7960 Driver Module